Disposable douche device



United States Patent U.S. Cl. 12S-227 4 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSUREA disposable douche device includes a plastic bag and a vaginalapplicator having an enlarged pressure expandable forward end. An openapplicator facing end of the plastic bag is secured between the engagedthreaded surfaces of a ring-shaped element and a coupler to which theapplicator is attached.

The present invention relates in general to hygenic devices for womenand more particularly relates to a new type of douche device.

As is well known, a douche device is one by means of which a woman maybathe and thereby cleanse herself internally. However, the douchedevices found in the prior art are limited in a number of ways. Thus, inthese earlier devices, the vaginal applicator is rigid and, therefore,it poses as a hazard for its user who may, because of it, injure herselfinternally. Second, because these prior art devices are not of adisposable nature, it is necessary that they be dismantled after eachuse and then thoroughly cleaned to avoid the possibility of futureinfection. Furthermore, another limiting feature of these former deviceslies in the fact that when stored away, the douche bag is empty of anycleansing liquid or powder, which means that the bag must be preparedwith cleansing material just prior to use. This can obviously be quiteinconvenient and troublesome for a woman, especially when she istravelling. Finally, because of the permanent nature of these existingdevices, they are sturdily constructed, that is to say, they areconstructed to last, which thereby increases their cost considerably.Accordingly, there has been a long-felt need for improvements in suchdevices.

The present invention answers this need by providing a douche devicethat is not only disposable after each use, but whose vaginal applicatoris somewhat elastic so as to minimize the possibility of injury. Morespecifically, according to an embodiment of the present invention, thevaginal applicator is easily coupled to the mouth of a plastic bag inwhich is contained a correct amount of the cleansing material that isneeded, the cleansing material having been placed in the bag uponmanufacture and hermetically sealed therein at the time. When put touse, the seal is broken, the bag filled with an appropriate amount ofwater, and the vaginal applicator thereafter coupled to the bag. Afteruse, the entire device is discarded or thrown away.

The douche device of the present invention is novel in several respects,rst, because of its disposable character, second, because it is adaptedto include a cleansing material within it to thereby eliminate theaforementioned inconvenience to the woman, and, third and mostimportant, the vaginal applicator thereof is constructed to expand insuch a manner as to provide a better cleansing action, as will be seenfrom the detailed description of the invention presented below. i

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a newtype of douche device that is disposable after use.

3,474,788 Patented Oct. 28, 1969 FC1ce It is another object of thepresent invention to provide a douche device in which the vaginalapplicator is adapted to minimize the possibility of internal injury.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a. douchedevice in which the vaginal applicator is adapted to enhance thecleansing action of such devices.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a douchedevice that is quite sanitary and available for almost immediate use.

It is, finally, an object of the present invention to provide a douchedevice that is of relatively simple construction and inexpensive.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of theinvention, both as to its organization and method of operation, togetherwith further objects and advantages thereof, will be better understoodfrom the following description considered in connection with theaccompanying drawing in which an embodiment of the invention isillustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood,however, that the drawing is for the purpose of illustration anddescription only, and is not intended as a definition of the limits ofthe invention.

FIGURE l is an overall view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged View, in cross-section, of the means by whichand the manner in which the vaginal applicator is coupled to the douchebag in the preferred embodiment of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a view in prospective of the coupling mechanism in FIGURE 2for the purpose of illustrating the sealing thereof; and

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of the vaginal applicator taken alongthe line 4-4 and in the direction of the arrows thereof, to illustrateits internal construction and its expandable nature.

For a consideration of the invention in detail, reference is now made tothe drawing wherein, in FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment thereof is shownto include a vaginal applicator 10 coupled to a water-proof bag 11 inwhich is contained, in a sealed condition, as will be seen below, thecleansing, bathing, or medicinal material 12 used with such a device. Aspreviously mentioned, bag 11 is waterproof and for this reason ispreferably a plastic bag, especially since such bags are also thin,pliable and transparent, all of which enhance the utility of the presentdevice. Between vaginal applicator 10 and the bag 11, is a couplingmechanism, generally designated 13, which, as its name implies, couplesthe applicator to the bag so that liquid can flow out of the bag andthrough the applicator. Needless to say, and as will be seen more fullybelow, coupling mechanism 13 is designed to take into consideration thecharacteristics of both the bag and the applicator, so that a leak-proofchannel of ow is provided between the bag and the applicator.

Reference is now made to FIGURE 2 wherein coupling mechanism 13 is shownin greater detail and, as shown therein, it includes a nozzle-typeelement 13'a that is preferably tapered slightly toward the front. Thus,the diameter of nozzle element 13a is preferably slightly smaller at itsfront end than it is at its rear end, the reason being that the end ofthe applicator can be slipped onto the coupler a lo t more easily thisway. Integral with and extending around nozzle element 13a, preferablynear the rear end thereof, is a shoulder 13b that is threaded on itsouter surface, as is indicated by the designation 13e. Finally, couplingmechanism 13 also includes a ring element 13d that is threaded on itsinside surface, as is indicated by the designation 13e, threads 13ebeing matched to threads 13e so that ring element 13d can be tightlyscrewed onto shoulder 13b.

Bag 11 and coupling mechanism 13 are assembled as a unit at the time ofmanufacture, the assembly thereof being accomplished by slipping anopening in the bag over the coupling mechanism so that threads 13C ofshoulder 13b are covered by the bag material. Ring element 13d is thenscrewed onto shoulder 13b so that the bag material is caught betweenthreads 13C and 13e in the manner shown in FIGURE 2, and since thesethreads present a corrugated and twisted path, the junction between thecoupling mechanism and the bag is thereby made leak-proof under theconditions of normal use. The assembly of bag 11 and coupling mechanism13 is also illustrated in FIGURE 3 which additionally shows that, priorto use, the mouth of nozzle element 13, designated 131, is closed orsealed with an adhesive iiap 14 that prevents material 12 from passingout of the bag through the nozzle. Flap 14 may simply be a piece of waxpaper or plastic that has an adhesive substance on its bottom surfacethat will permit it to tightly adhere and thereby close off the mouth ofthe nozzle.

When put to use, seal 14 is simply pealed off, thereby exposing themouth 13f of the nozzle-shaped element. Water is then poured into bag11, through the opening of mouth 131, until the cleansing or bathingsubstance 12 therein is mixed with the right amount of water, the entryof the water producing suicient agitation to thoroughly mix substance 12with the water. At this point, the forward end of member 13a is fittedinto the rear end of vaginal applicator to provide a tight and leakproofconnection therebetween. To achieve these purposes, the applicator ispreferably made of a medical grade polyvinyl chloride or similar type ofmaterial which not only gives the applicator its desired iiexibility,but also provides the necessary tight and leak-proof it with member13a'. In this regard, it should be mentioned that once the applicator istted over the coupling member, it becomes extremely difficult tothereafter pull or pry if off, which means that there is substantiallyno possibility that the applicator will come olf due to liquid flow andpressure.

A more detailed View of the construction and configuration of theforward end or head of the vaginal applicator 10 is presented in FIGURE4 wherein that part of the applicator is shown to comprise four recessedsides designated 10a-10d. More specifically, as is shown in FIG- UR'ES land 4, the applicator 4is tubular-shaped for most of its length butexpands into a larger four-sided structure at its forward end thatresembles a square whose sides are of a concave configuration. It isalong these sides that a plurality of orifices are located, such asorilices 10e, through which the liquid in bag 11 ultimately exits forthe purposes intended. As many such orices may be utilized as is deemednecessary. With respect to applicator walls 10a-10d, these expand underliquid pressure Y substantially to the positions shown by broken lines10a- 10d', thereby producing a reaction force against the liquid thatmore forcefully directs it out through the orifices. In this way abetter spray action is obtained and, therefore, a better cleansingaction.

Although a particular arangement of the invention has been illustratedand described above by way of example, it is not intended that theinvention be limited thereto. Accordingly, the invention should beconsidered to include any and all modications, alterations, orequivalent arrangements falling Within the scope of the annexed claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A douch device comprising: a plastic bag having an opening throughone portion thereof; a vaginal applicator that is flexible and that hasa plurality of orifices through the walls thereof at its forward end,said forward end being of larger cross-section than the rest of saidapplicator and adapted to expand under pressure to an even largercross-section; and means for coupling said applicator to said bag in aleak-proof manner through the Open portion thereof, said coupling meansincluding a nozzle-shaped member having a shoulder near its rear endthat is threaded on its outer surface, and a ling shaped element that isthreaded on its inner surface, said ring-shaped element being screwedonto said shoulder with the open portion of said bag fastened betweensaid threaded outer and inner surfaces.

2. The device defined in claim 1 wherein the forward end of saidapplicator has recessed sides of a concave configuration that expandoutwardly under pressure applied to its inner surfaces, and wherein therest of said applicator is tubular-shaped.

3. The device defined in claim 2 wherein the forward end of saidnozzle-shaped member is iitted into the rear end of said applicator.

4. The device defined in claim 3 wherein said applicator is made of apolyvinyl chloride material that gives the applicator its flexibilityand provides a tight, leakproof fit, with said nozzle-shaped member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,144,866 8/1964 Ellis 12S-232GEORGE J. MARLO, Primary Examiner U.S. C1. X.R.

